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| Home >> Technical >> Clew strop and kicker cleat |
Hi Alastair, thanks.
You're quite right I meant clew strop. (I was typing late on my phone and not really thinking straight)
I'll check the cleat jaws on the kicker next time I'm on the boat and make sure the springs are OK.
I too have some reservations about the rotatey-cleat for the kicker. Quite often it's tricky to get the line low enough to make the jaws engage!
Tim
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29/07/2016 10:05:38
Middle Eight
Posts: 21
Hi Tim,
Glad you are enjoying the Aero...tippy little buggers!
1. Do you mean a velcro clew, rather than tack, strap? Not sure that the boat would be stable enough to allow you to detach a velcro clew strap whilst afloat. Once you have your feet on the bottom it only takes a couple of seconds to drop the main. As the rig is unstayed you can 'blow the knot' like Lasers do and let the rig blow forward when coming into a lee shore if that is your problem.
2. The jaws of the kicker cleat should centre themselves, or at least share the load sufficiently to keep hold of the control line. Either the jaws are worn so that the line is slipping or one of the springs has given up the ghost and the cam is exerting little or no pressure on one side.
3. Assuming that you have the loop, or daisy chain, snugged up against the cleat when the kicker is at its maximum 'off' position, the amount of pull shouldn't be excessive. As far as the cleat position is concerned...'it is what it is'. I think the position is about right on the boat but you can't change it anyway. The fitting itself is, in comparison to the quality of most of the remainder of the equipment, a bit of a let down and creates a lot of unwanted friction in the most frequently adjusted control system (mainsheet excluded).
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28/07/2016 21:34:55
Alistair Glen
Posts: 14
Hi
A couple of things I've noticed as I learn this boat (which I'm really enjoying of course!)
1. On my pond it's tricky to launch since (as others note) the boat has a tendency to fall over if you don't get in fairly swiftly. Leaving on a pontoon in anything than a gentle breeze is a no-no. It would be helpful if the tack strop was a Velcro or otherwise detachable arrangement (I have a new sail, dunno about older ones and mine has a loop). As it's a 7, you cannot realistically pull the tack end off the end of the boom to let it fly. Being able to detach it could make berthing easier.
2. Has anyone had a problem with the kicker jumping out of the cleat, or at least loosening itself (jumping backward a couple of inches) in a gust or post a tack? It might be I'm not centering the jaws after an adjustment but it's happened a couple of times in the last few weeks.
3. Have I got the kicker set up wrong, or would that cleat be better positioned slightly nearer the mast, so you can tie a loop or handle nearer the front and not have to pull it past your ear when you want full kicker?
I'd be interested to hear other views.
Ps it was great to find out that the tiller extension floats!
Tim
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28/07/2016 20:17:22
Middle Eight
Posts: 21
